Learning To Be
by lovetowerewolves
Summary: At 24, Alexandria is moving to La Push for a fresh start, but finds a wolf instead. But why is she so uncomfortable around people? And when a complicated situation means Embry can't be with her the way he wants, can he be what she needs instead? Or will her past and his burning desire for more make things too complicated for her to handle?
1. Chapter 1 - Moving House

**Author's Note:**

First, the obligatory disclaimer: As everyone reading this probably knows, I am not Stephanie Meyer nor do I own Twilight or any of it's characters. I can, however, claim credit for Mrs. Walks, Alexandria, and one out of control cat.

Secondly, this story is sort of writing itself and if it's trash - feel free to say so. I'd rather know now than once I've put all the work in to get to the end.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One - Moving House

It was three o'clock in the morning when a black Lincoln pulled up to an old, faded white house on the edge of the reservation. The driver grabbed a duffle bag from the passenger seat before climbing out of the car and making her way to the front porch. A chocolate brown wolf watched curiously as her long black waves tangled in the air while she ducked her head against the wind. It sat silently at the edge of the woods as she reached into a potted plant by the blue front door and located the spare key. He watched until the door locked behind the young woman before carrying on deeper into the woods.

"What did Sam say we were doing today?" Quil asked as the four men made their way down the dirt road in La Push. The day was cloudy and cool, but the men only wore beat-up shorts and tee-shirts.

"Moving some furniture or something for Mrs. Walks, I think," Jacob answered, looking up at the darkening sky.

"But this isn't her address," Seth pointed out as they stopped in front of a blue two story house. The house was on the border between La Push and a small town called Forks and set back in the woods for privacy, though there weren't many other houses around anyways. There was a newly added white wrap around porch, and the shutters had recently been replaced as well. Seth remembered Sam telling them about the construction work some of the guys had done over the last several months on a vacant house out here and assumed this was it. He knew the work had brought in a lot of money for the company as the house needed a lot of renovations, updating, and repairs after being abandoned for over twenty years.

"Well that's her car," Jacob pointed to a worn out old red Volkswagen in the driveway next to a large U-Haul. "Maybe she's moving."

"Well let's just go see," Paul suggested.

They finished their walk up the drive and found Mrs. Walks coming out the front door yelling something into the house. "Oh! Hello there, boys! Almost gave me a hard attack. For big men you sure don't make a lot of noise."

Jacob smiled at the grey haired woman as she greeted them. Sam and elders had always suspected that she knew the truth about them, though she never said anything. Mrs. Walks was 73 years old and had lived on the reservation her whole life and was ¼ Quileute. She had married a man from Forks and he had lived with her in La Push until a few years ago when he passed away. The two had three children that had all went away for college and never came back. Since she lived all alone with no family around she often hired members of the pack to do yard work and repairs around her home.

"Hello, Mrs. Walks," Seth loved doing work for the woman as she was an amazing cook and often cooked lunch or dinner for the boys when they were around.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Helen dear." The pack had been doing work for her for almost ten years, since right after the almost war with the Volturi, but still refused to call her Helen, though she tried every time.

Paul laughed, "What are we doing for you today?" The volatile werewolf had calmed down immensely after imprinting on Rebecca Black.

"Well actually boys, my granddaughter just arrived in town last night and the two of us didn't think we could manage to move her in ourselves so I thought you might do the heavy lifting?"

"Your granddaughter is moving to town?" Seth asked.

"Yes she is," the woman beamed. "It'll be nice to have family around again."

The boys all smiled then and Quil asked the obvious, "Well where is she? We'd love to meet her."

"She's inside unpacking the kitchen, we thought we'd make you boys some lunch but we need pots and pans for that," she winked. "Don't worry, I told her she might want to make extras - I know how you boys eat."

"Thanks Mrs. Walks," Seth enthusiasm, though seemingly impossible, increased at the mention of lunch. "So let's get started, I'm starving."

Helen laughed and Quil elbowed Seth in the stomach, "Well there's furniture and boxes in the truck, everything's labeled and I'll tell you where it goes as we take it out. There should be a delivery later with more things, and I'm sure we'll need your help to put them together and in place, but let's start with what we've got."

The boys nodded and got to work, quickly unloading boxes and placing them wherever directed. Quil caught a glimpse of Helen's granddaughter in the kitchen digging in boxes and putting things in the cupboards. He recognized her long dark hair from the night before as the woman who had arrived at Helen's house. She didn't look as pale under the kitchen lights, but in the dark with only moonlight the night before she had looked almost as pale as a vampire.

Around eleven o'clock the boys noticed the smell of garlic and onions beginning to fill house and shortly thereafter the young woman brought a stack of cups and a pitcher of lemonade out onto the porch. Her hair had been put into a loose low ponytail that fell in front of one of her shoulders, ending just below her waist. And when she looked up to greet them her midnight blue eyes momentarily stopped Seth in his tracks. He'd never seen eyes like that, eyes so blue it was like he was drowning in the night sky.


	2. Chapter 2 - Not One For Company

**Author's** **Note:**

First, again I am not Stephanie Meyer, no matter how much I may wish I were that awesome and I do not own Twilight or any of it Character's. I am, however, the Creator of Mrs. Walks, Alexandria, and a really horribly awesome piece of pottery.

Second, if I suck please let me know. If you like it, feel free to let me know. If you have no idea how you feel about it but want to tell me you like cheese pizza, I'll take that too.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Two - Not One For Company

If he'd had any chance to hope he'd finally found his imprint, he would have been truly disappointed. But as the only non-imprinted wolf on this job, he was the only one who could really appreciate the beauty of them, of her in general.

He took a moment then, while she was distracted by something her grandmother was saying, to look her over. Beyond the eyes, which at second glance he noticed seemed a little lost, lifeless even, she had full pink lips, and long lashes, though she didn't appear to be wearing any make-up. She was shorter than he was, though it wasn't hard to be, but he'd estimated she was 5'2" or 5'3", and she was curvy in the best sense of the word. Before he could ogle her too much, though, she and her grandmother turned back to the men.

"Boys, this is my granddaughter Alexandria. Alexandria, this is Seth Clearwater, Jack Black, Quil Ateara, and Paul Lahote."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," her voice was smooth and sweet. The boys chorused similar sentiments. "Thank you for helping with all this, I can't imagine the two of us trying to do this. I brought some lemonade out for you, and lunch should be done in about forty-five minutes. If you need anything, please let me know."

The boys nodded and thanked her and she disappeared back into the house. Her grandma sighed, "Sorry, she's not one for company lately."

"Oh. That's fine, we didn't come here to hang out anyways, we came to work," Jacob said, watching the woman move around behind the kitchen curtains. Mrs. Walks headed back inside as well after instructing them to take a break and enjoy the lemonade.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Quil whispered once Helen was inside.

"No idea," Jacob shrugged.

The boys stuffed themselves at lunch. Alexandria turned out to be as good of a cook as her grandmother. Thankfully she'd heeded her grandma's warning and made food for twenty instead of six. She'd cooked fried chicken in a homemade breading, garlic mashed potatoes, parmesan cucumber fries, and cherry pie. They were in heaven. Though they'd talked among themselves and to Mrs. Walks, Alexandria didn't say much. When all the food was gone, the boys went back to work finishing up the truck load. When they were just about finished the call came in that the other shipment was delayed and wouldn't arrive until the following morning.

The boys left around two, after assuring Mrs. Walks that they'd have a small group back tomorrow for the other truck. Alexandria had paid them, more than expected, but seemed to not want to bother the boys for a second day, they'd insisted it would be no problem. They walked back to Sam's after that to spend the rest of the afternoon with the packs. Though Sam had stopped phasing a couple years before, the packs still gathered at his house. Sam owned the construction company that some of the guys worked for and Jacob and Embry owned the auto-shop. Between the two businesses, the stipend from the tribe for their security services, and the odd jobs around town, the pack members were able to earn a decent living. Plus, since both businesses were owned by current or former pack members, they were flexible around patrolling schedules and they didn't have to explain when they suddenly had to leave for 'emergencies'. You couldn't exactly tell your employer you were going to hunt a vampire after all.

"Hey boys, how'd it go?" Emily called from the kitchen when they arrived.

"Pretty good, paid more than we thought," Paul answered.

"Well that's good, you'll need the extra money to pay for that wedding of yours." Emily stuck her head into the living room and winked at Paul. "There's Muffins."

Paul groaned, though they could all tell he was happy. He'd asked Rachel to marry him and she'd said yes much to his surprise, and he was thrilled. He often moaned and groaned about the fortune the upcoming nuptials were costing him, but smiled the whole time. Nothing made him happier than Rachel, and no matter how much it was going to cost, he would give her the wedding she wanted.

Sometime around three Embry, Brady and Collin had come around for food and to hang out. When Sam came home the six of them were enjoying beer in the back yard. After greeting Emily, Sam headed out back as well to catch up with the pack, he felt like he missed a lot now that he no longer shared a mind with them while they ran. Embry and Brady filled him on their days at the garage and Collin talked about how things were going with his imprint, Catrina. Things were still a little rocky after telling her the truth about the wolves, but steadily improving. Jacob told them about their moving job, and asked Sam if any of the others were available for the rest of the job tomorrow. Jacob and Paul would be at the garage tomorrow with Collin, Jared, and Anderson who had phased right before the Volturi fight.

"Well I'll be at the new construction site again with the rest of the crew from today, and I'm going to need Quil and Brady too since we're doing some electrical. There's school so the younger ones are out. Seth and Embry could go, if that's okay with them?"

Seth nodded his assent as did Embry, "It's just moving stuff right?"


	3. Chapter 3 - Mrs Parker

**Author's Note:**

Again, my loves, I'm not the stellar Stephanie Meyer and I don't own Twilight or its character, though I do have every book and do own Mrs. Walks and Alexandria.

Let me know how you feel about this mess, and hey, if you want to Beta for me, hit me up.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Three - Mrs. Parker

"Yeah, and the food is awesome," Seth responded.

"The food or the girl?" Quil snorted. Jacob, Quil and Seth had phased and ran a few laps before returning to Emily's with Paul. Paul had driven his truck back, since he was trying to quit phasing. He hadn't phased in a couple months, though he'd had more trouble than Sam. Jared was quitting too, slowly though, as they were in the processes of trying to merge the two packs again. As long as Jacob and Renesmee were staying around La Push it made more sense to have one Alpha who wouldn't stop phasing instead of changing Alphas as each one started to age for his imprint.

"What do you mean?" The question came from Brady.

"Seth couldn't stop thinking about Mrs. Walks granddaughter the whole run back. He's got a little crush."

"That's not true!"

"Oh really? Then was all that about her ass?" Seth blushed and Quil laughed. "He wouldn't shut up about her." After sharing a mind with Seth, the two other boys had been able to actually see her clearly, and though they'd agreed she was pretty, she didn't hold the same appeal for them.

"Shut up Quil!"

"Mrs. Walks granddaughter is moving here? For how long?" This time it was Sam who spoke.

"She didn't say, though she's the one moving into the house that you guys renovated, so I'd say for a while at least," Jacob answered. "She didn't say much actually. Mrs. Walks said she wasn't 'one for company lately', whatever that means."

"Alexandria is her granddaughter?"

"Yeah, you know her?"

"Well I've never met her but we talked on the phone a lot when we were doing the remodel and that's where the checks came from," Sam answered. "She seemed very polite when we talked." Their talk turned then to the actual remodel and the work they'd done and then away from Alexandria all together.

The next afternoon Embry and Seth drove out to the blue house to finish up the work. When they pulled up to the house Mrs. Walks car was absent and the U-Haul had gone but there were several large boxes and some furniture pieces in the open garage.

Seth bounded up the porch and knocked eagerly on the front door with Embry laughing behind him, "She's that hot, kid?"

"Shut up." A few moments later, with Embry still laughing, the door swung open. "Hey Alexandria, we're back. Oh and Alexandria, this is Embry, Embry meet Alexandria."

"Please, call me Alex," she said as she stuck out her hand for Embry to shake and looked up at him.

Embry put his hand around her, "It's a pleasure to me-" he couldn't finish his sentence. Gravity had moved, he could have sworn, and this beautiful woman was the only thing stopping him from floating away. There was an electric current zinging down his arm from the place where his hand still held her and he didn't want to let go. Her eyes were a magnificent, brilliant blue and he never wanted to look away...but then Seth cleared his throat, and he noticed the black haired beauty was starting to look uncomfortable.

He dropped her hand, "Pleasure to meet you. Uh, I'm sorry about that, must have zoned out." Alex nodded but shifted from one foot to the other. "So is the stuff in the garage that's going in?"

"Yes, they dropped it off this morning. That'll be the last of it, I'm sorry about this, they were suppose to have it here yesterday."

"Oh it's fine, we really don't mind," Seth responded politely, trying to make her more comfortable. "I guess you'll be directing the furniture parade today?"

She smiled, "Yes, my grandma didn't want to miss her soaps and I haven't had the cable set up yet."

"Ah, yes, who would want to miss that? Well, shall we get started?" She nodded and followed Seth off the porch, Embry trailing behind.

"Most of this is for the living room I think, and a few things for the downstairs guest room." She gestured to a group in the corner that included a large grey sectional with matching chair, a dresser and a few tall boxes. Then she pointed to the other group of boxes, "I'm not really sure what that is, I don't remember ordering or shipping any of it."

They spent the next hour or so arranging the two rooms and relocating some of the pieces Mrs. Walks had misdirected the day before. Alex brought out lemonade to the garage again for the boys while she tried to sort out the other pile. She had made little headway when her cell phone rang. She stepped out of the garage to take the call, though she didn't know they could still hear with their sensitive wolf hearing.

"Hello?"

Someone on the other end spoke, though it was quiet enough neither could make out the words.

"Yes, this is Mrs. Parker."


	4. Chapter 4 - Wolf in Distress

**Author's Note:**

I am not Stephanie Meyer nor do I pretend to be...well, sometimes. I don't own Twilight.

Oh, also, rated M for lots-o-swearing. And _italics_ are thoughts while furry. (Except the first section of italics, which is clearly the end of the last chapter, lovelies.)

Enjoy!

* * *

 _She stepped out of the garage to take the call, though she didn't know they could still hear with their sensitive wolf hearing._

" _Hello?"_

 _Someone on the other end spoke, though it was quiet enough neither could make out the words._

" _Yes, this is Mrs. Parker."_

* * *

Chapter Four - Wolf in Distress

Seth froze, staring at Embry. She just said _Mrs._ Parker, as in there was already a _Mr._ Parker.

"You have to stay calm, man," Seth whispered to Embry. He was still, other than his shaking hands. "Just stay calm. If you can stay calm for five more minutes we can make an excuse and leave, but you have to stay calm right now. Okay?"

Embry nodded, clenching his fist and trying to breath. _Mrs. Parker. Yes this is Mrs. Parker. Mrs….not Miss Parker or Alex Parker, but Mrs. Parker. His Alex was already taken, already happy with another man. She was a Mrs._ Embry missed the rest of the phone conversation, just trying to calm down enough to make it the next few minutes.

"Sorry about that I just...um, is everything okay?" She noticed Embry looking pale, shaking in his spot, a weird expression on his face.

"Actually, Alex, Embry isn't feeling well. Would it be okay if we came back tomorrow or Thursday?" Seth asked politely.

She nodded, "Yes, of course that's fine. I hope you feel better." Embry nodded but didn't look at her as Seth steared him towards the truck apologizing again to Alex. Seth managed to get Embry into the passenger seat and then drove down towards the road. Embry glanced back at Alex one last time before the driveway curved as she disappeared. How could his imprint be married?

Once they made it far enough away from her house Seth pulled the truck into a path near the woods and got out with Embry who barely got his clothes off before exploding. Seth thought he'd handled himself pretty well but stripped down and phased as well.

 _Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Parker….._ Embry kept repeating over and over again. He was already running, his paws hitting the wet ground with loud thumps.

 _Who's Mrs. Parker?_ The thought came from Collin, in answer an image of Alexandria Parker crossed Embry's mind.

 _Embry imprinted._ Seth thought. _On Mrs. Walks daughter. Only, it turns out, she's married._

 _Oh._

 _She's fucking married. How can my imprint be married? We're suppose to be..._ Several pictures flashed through his mind then, Emily and Sam at the alter, Jared holding Kim at a bonfire, Paul proposing to Rachel, Jacob and Nessie laughing on the beach.

 _Collin, maybe you should go get Jared or Jake._

 _Fucking married. Married. 'Yes, this is Mrs. Parker'. Mine._ Collin was running toward the garage at full speed as his brother's thoughts became more disjointed. Seth was trying to follow Embry but couldn't keep up, Embry's anger seeming to fuel him. Collin had just phased when suddenly Embry stopped dead. _Oh God - what if they have kids?_ Seth didn't know what to say to comfort him. He didn't know if she had kids, he couldn't say it was all going to be okay because, well - what if it wasn't going to be?

Thankfully Jared phased. _What's going on? Collin said you needed m-_

 _I'll tell you what's going on, Jared._ Embry's thoughts were almost snarls now. _My imprints married. This is fucking bullshit. I didn't even_ want _to imprint and when I do, she's married._ His thoughts degraded then into string of curses then as he started running again.

 _You imprinted? She's married? She told you she was married?_ Seth replayed Alex's phone conversation for him. Thankfully, Jared was able to block his thoughts after the ten or so years of phasing and was able to hide the extent of his concern from Embry while he thought it over. He thought about Kim, how happy she made him. What if he never got that? The love between imprints was...but then he thought of Quil and Claire. It didn't _have_ to be love, at least not in the romantic sense. Claire was thirteen now, and she need a friend, so Quil was the best friend she could have asked for. Whatever the imprint needs… _Embry, I know this is hard…_

 _Hard? Hard? Have you not been listening?! She's MARRIED. She's not meant for me, she can't love me. She's_ his. Neither Seth nor Jared could tell where Embry was now, the images were flying by too quickly.

 _You're suppose to be what she needs, Embry. What_ she _needs._ Jared didn't want to push, just wanted him to calm down and think about her so he told Seth to phase back and then phased back himself after giving him one last thing to think about. _You being in her life, even if you're not together, will make her happy._

But Embry could think then, couldn't see past his anger. He spent that night cursing as he plowed through the forest, alone.


	5. Chapter 5 - Friends

**Author's Note:**

Sadly, the mystical powers that be have still not granted me a life swap with Stephenie Meyer - so I don't own Twilight or it's characters.

Also, I'm having a debate about chapter length and while I understand arguing with yourself is probably not healthy, it's happening anyways. My chapters so far are all about the same length, except for this one, but I'd have zero problem making them longer, so tell me what you think.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _You're suppose to be what she needs, Embry. What_ she _needs._ Jared didn't want to push, just wanted him to calm down and think about her so he told Seth to phase back and then phased back himself after giving him one last thing to think about. _You being in her life, even if you're not together, will make her happy._

But Embry could think then, couldn't see past his anger. He spent that night cursing as he plowed through the forest, alone.

* * *

Chapter Five - Friends

Two weeks. It had been two week since Embry imprint, and while his anger had dissipated, in its place had come a sense of defeat. He'd always imagined that if he ever did imprint, it would be what the others had. Love, devotion, passion. It's what imprint was supposed to be. He, of course, knew Quil and Claire weren't that way, but Claire was so young it just made sense that Quil would be her best friend. Embry realized then that he'd even rather have _that_ imprint, then this one. Claire and Quil would have what the others had when Claire was ready, the same way Jake and Renesmee had transitioned, but Embry couldn't have that. His imprint already had that, with someone else.

He tried to stop them, but the images came anyways. Alexandria in someone else's arms, kissing someone else, loving him. The man in his mental images was an indistinct blur, but Alex was crystal clear. Everything about her was perfect, and he hadn't forgotten a single thing. He wondered if her eyes sparkled when she kissed him, if there was a mini-Alex, if the reason she hadn't seemed fully there was because her husband was somewhere else.

It bugged him, her being alone in that house when she had someone. Where was he? Why wasn't he with her? He assumed she was here to set up the house and he'd be along soon. Embry couldn't understand how her husband could stand to be away from her, because _he_ was having trouble staying away. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, he was being pulled to her, and knew he'd end up on her doorstep soon. He just couldn't figure out what he was supposed to say or do when he got there. 'Hi, I ran away the other day because I'm a werewolf and in love with you but you're married' seemed like a horrible opening line.

He managed to stay away from her house for three more days before he just couldn't _not_ see her. Emily armed him with a plate of apology cookies, and the boys gave him suggestions on what to say and do. He could do it, he could be a friend and nothing more. He _would_ do it. It was with that in mind he drove up to her house Saturday morning. He repeated in his head over and over - _Friends. Friends. Just Friends. F-r-i-e-n-d-s._ He tapped lightly on her door, _friends._ He almost bolted right back to his house when she opened the door.

Alex had just woken up and was in the middle of getting the coffee ready when she heard the knock on her front door. She looked at herself in the mirror on her way to the door. Her pale blue shorts were not exactly appropriate for company and her pink tank top clung to her a little too tightly, but she had her cotton robe on. Her hair was a mess in a large bun atop her head and she had bags under her eyes, but there wasn't much she could do about it so she went to open the door.

She was surprised to see Embry on the other side, holding a covered plattered looking like he couldn't decide if he should run or throw-up. "Hello?"

"Um, hi, Alex. I d-don't know if you remember me but I'm -"

"Embry," his name sounded perfect when she said it. "I remember you. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, yes. Much better actually. I'm sorry, if I woke you, I just wanted to bring things over to say I'm sorry. I know you were counting on us to get that work done."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're feeling better. You didn't have to come all the way out here to apologize." There was a beeping from the kitchen. "Um, I was just about to have some coffee, would you like to come in?"

Embry nodded and, after taking off his shoes, followed her into the kitchen. He already knew what it looked like of, course, having helped with some of the repairs, but he seemed very different with her in it. He didn't normally work on the construction project, preferring to work in the garage with Jake, but the house had been a big job and Sam wanted all hands on deck when possible. So on days when the garage had no appointments they had left one mechanic at the shop with Emily working in the office.

He watched her robe slide up a few inches to reveal more her thick, creamy thighs when she reached up in a cupboard to grab two cups. _Friend._ He shook his head redirected his attention and put the container of cookies on the island. Alex glanced over her shoulder at him as she poured the coffee, "Go ahead and take a seat. Do you want any cream or sugar?"

Embry slide onto one of the black leather stools at the island, "Cream, please."

Alex placed a cup down in front of him and stood leaning across the counter from him. They sipped slowly, and in silence for a few long minutes. Embry could tell Alex was uncomfortable in his presence, though from the way Seth had talked about the first day of moving, he wondered if she was just uncomfortable around people in general. "So, did you ended up figure out what all the other boxes were?"

She bobbed her head once, "Yeah, Paul and Jacob came back and put everything together. Well, except for one box, which I didn't order."

 _Maybe your husband did._ "What is it?"

She shrugged, "Some type of closet organizer or shelving system. I'm not really sure."

"I could put it in for you if you'd like?" _Please let me spend time with you._

"Oh, no. That's okay. I'm sure I'm going to use it." They went back to drinking their coffee. She looked around the kitchen, stared at her coffee, looked anywhere and everywhere but at _him._

"Well, I didn't mean to disturb you, thank you for the coffee though. I should head out." He stood slowly, but she didn't stop him.

"Thank you for the cookies."

"Your welcome." And with that he left. Did she hate him? He climbed into his car a drove to Sam's, replaying their conversation. When he finally parked his truck in their driveway he banged his head against the steering wheel a few times. _Idiot._ He trudged into the house and collapsed onto the couch.

Sam and Emily exchanged a wary look over his head, "How'd it go?"

"I think she hates me, Sam. Is it possible for her to hate me? She invited me in for coffee but barely said anything to me. I was there for all of ten minutes before I left. She probably thinks I'm an idiot. I'm never going to see her again." He put his head in his hands.

Emily smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "Oh I don't know about that. I have a feeling you'll see her sooner than you think."

Embry's head shot back up, "What do you mean?"

"You left the cookies right?" Embry nodded, Sam looked confused. "You left the cookies in a _container_ , she's going to have to return it to you eventually." Sam smiled as his wife. "When she does, you can talk again. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but you have to start slow, she'll come around."

"But she hates me."

"Why would you think that?"

"She seemed uncomfortable, and she only talked if I asked her a question. She doesn't want to be around me," he confided.

"From what I've heard from the guys, she's not exactly talkative with anyone. Very polite, kind, but not really comfortable around any of them. I doubt she hates you," Sam sat down next to him the couch. "Even her grandma said she hasn't wanted to be around people lately."

"You talked to Mrs. Walks?"

"I helped her unclog her garbage disposal a few days ago, she may have said somethings. The important thing is," he continued before Embry couldn't interrupt, "she doesn't hate you."

"Did her grandma say anything about her husband?" Sam was quiet. "She did, didn't she? What'd she say?" Sam still didn't answer. "Oh come on, Sam. It's better I find out here, away from her."

"Fine, okay. She didn't mention Alex's husband. She didn't say a lot, but I could tell Mrs. Walks doesn't like him much. His name is Mark, and he's a lawyer. I guess he's in the middle of pretty big case and in staying in New York for right now."

"Then why isn't Alex there with him?" Embry asked, clenching his fists. A lawyer named Mark. Probably a very _rich_ lawyer named Mark. He could provide for her and take care of her. Buy her house across the country near her grandma.

Sam shrugged, "From what I can tell, Alex didn't want to spend that much time alone in the city while he was working, and they'd talked about moving after this case so she came to set up the house and spend time with Mrs. Walks. She didn't seem to have the details, or at least if she did she didn't share them. Or believe them."

"Do you know...did she say," he took a deep breath, "Did she say when he's coming to join her?" _How much time do I have with her?_

Sam understood. "Mrs. Walks said the court date is set for three months from now, and he'll be here soon after that."

He had three months to befriend his imprint.


	6. Chapter 6 - Hot Cocoa

**Author's Note**

Hello my peeps.

If anyone is actually reading this than you know that I am not the writer of Twilight and do not own it or the characters within. I have a doggie though.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Six - Hot Cocoa

Emily was right, Embry did see Alex sooner than he would have expected, considering he wasn't expecting to see her again at all. Four days after dropping the cookies off, Alex appeared on his doorstep. She was in dark jeans that hugged her hips and thighs and a black raincoat cinched at the waist and carrying the plastic container. Her hair was soaked and she was shaking.

"Alex? Come inside you're gonna freeze," a shirtless Embry threw open the door and ushered her through. He put the container on the little table by the door and helped her peel her coat off. "I'll be right back." She nodded, teeth chattering. He came back quickly with a towel that he wrapped around her before handing her a stack of folded clothes. "I grabbed you some dry clothes, they're gonna be big on you but it's better than being cold. Bathroom is the first door on the right down that hall. Just leave your wet clothes in the tub and I'll throw them in the dryer for you."

"Th-thank you." Alex made her way down the hallway and into the small yellow bathroom. Her clothes were plastered to her skin and she was shaking so much it took a while to get out of them. The grey sweatpants swallowed her and so did the tee shirt but she rolled the pant legs over several times so she wouldn't trip and put her clothes in the bath. When she made it back to the living Embry, who had thrown on a shirt, handed her a blanket before disappearing down the hall again.

Alex curled up on the couch and wrapped herself in the blanket. The living room was small and lived in but cozy, and the couch was definitely comfortable. Alex leaned her head back against the cushions and closed her eyes. She could hear Embry moving through the house and the dryer running. She could barely feel her hands still and tried rubbing them up and down her thighs. She jumped slightly when there was suddenly a hand on her knee. She opened her eye to find Embry squatting down in front of her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, putting a steaming cup on the end table next to her. "You any warmer?"

"A l-little." He pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders and gently pulled her shaking hands from her legs. His burning hands swallowed her tiny ones with their massive size, and his rich skin tone made her look even more pale.

"Why, exactly, did you walk here in the rain?" He asked, trying to keep his voice calm. She could have made herself sick. Could have gotten hit by a car on the slick roads.

"Well it wasn't r-raining when I left, and I didn't r-realize how far it w-was. My c-car wouldn't start."

"You could make yourself sick, walking in the rain like that. _Always_ expect rain in La Push," he rubbed his hands back and forth over his, hoping the friction and his above-average temperature would speed the process. "I'll drive you back when your clothes are done, if you'd like, and maybe take a look at your car."

"You don't have to d-do that."

"I know I don't have to, I want to. I'd really rather you didn't get sick, although that may already be a lost cause," he switched to rubbing his hands up and down her arms, over the blanket. "How long were you walking in that rain, anyway? You're so cold."

"I dunno, I was by the school when the r-rain started."

Embry sighed and picked back up the mug, offering it to her, "Well drink up, this should help warm you up."

She blew on it and Embry's eyes were suddenly glued her pale pink lips, he wanted to rip the mug out of her hand and kiss her, hard. That would warm her up. He shook his head, trying to clear the traitorous thoughts from his head. _Friends._ She took a sip and a small moan escaped her lips, she blushed. Embry sat on the couch next to her and casually grabbed the extra blanket that was folded over the edge, placing it bunched up over his lap to hide his semi-hard on. What was she doing to him? And this wasn't even intentional! He couldn't help but imagine the results if she were actually trying to seduce him.

"Sorry," her blush deepened, "but what do you put in this? Its delicious."

"Chocolate coffee creamer, my mom's secret," he smiled.

She was silent again, staring at the blank tv screen. Her color was starting to come back a little and she wasn't shaking as much.

"Warmer?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Your clothes will probably be a bit, my dryers a little funky sometimes. We could watch some tv, or I think we have board games somewhere…" he could tell she didn't like the idea of staying here with him. Her heartbeat speed up and she shifted slightly. He had to do this slowly, she wasn't ready for more time. "Or, if you want, I can take you home now and bring your clothes by another day?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, absolutely, it's not a big deal," he hated to do it, to lose time with her, but it was she wanted. He stood up and offered her his hand. To his surprise, she took it. He let go once she was upright and took the cup from her and disappeared into the kitchen and then down the hall. When he came back he found her waiting by the door, her wet coat folded over her arm. He was carrying a sweatshirt and a to-go mug. "Your coat is soaked and I thought you might like some hot cocoa for the road."

"Thanks," he reached out to take her coat and handed her the sweatshirt.

"It's still raining and pretty cold out there, you're going to need it," he explained. She pulled it over head and lifted the hood. Like the other clothes he had given her to wear, it was gigantic - she rolled the sleeves back until her hand were exposed. "Shall we?"

Alex nodded and opened the door, heading back out into the rain. Embry jogged ahead of her and opened the passenger door of his truck for her, closing it behind her. They drove in silence back to her house and Embry noticed her eyes glazed as she stared out the window. She didn't seem to be aware of his presence, lost in thought. Which was funny, because he was all too aware of her. Every breath, every slight movement...He could feel her, sense her without looking. At one point he noticed her pulse quicken for no obvious reason, what was she thinking about?

Once they arrived at her house she hopped out quickly and made her way to the porch. Embry followed, carrying the cup. She unlocked the door and turned to him slowly, not meeting his gaze. "Thank you, Embry, I'll make sure you get these back," she motioned down her body, indicating the borrowed clothes.

"Not a problem," he passed her the hot chocolate, "Do you mind if I take a look at your car before I head out? I'd feel better knowing you won't get stuck walking in the rain again."

"Um, sure. The keys are in the cup holder. You really don't ha-"

"I want to. You should go take a warm bath or something, warm up. I'm just gonna take a quick look and then head out. Hopefully it's a quick fix."

"Thanks, for everything, really."

He smiled, "It's not a problem, Alex. You should get inside. I'll see you later."

After checking over her car, he headed back to his house. She still hadn't said much, but with at least two more innocent reasons to see her, he thought he had a chance. Tomorrow, he would go return her clothes to her and tell her about her car, and then he'd get to see her again once he got the part he needed to replace her corroded battery terminal. His hope was that if they continued to have these small, innocent encounter, they'd become longer over time and maybe they could eventually be friends. He just need to keep finding legitimate reasons to see her. For now, he had two, and he would go from there.

The next day, when Embry showed up at her doorstep, she wasn't surprised. She had the borrowed clothes washed and folded by the door, waiting. Embry was friendly, polite. He told her about her car battery, explaining that it was and easy and inexpensive fix and that it shouldn't take more than a day or two to get the replacement part. She was grateful he didn't linger long, telling her he'd back soon and wishing her a good day.

Recently she found she was unbearably uncomfortable with people near. It made her jittery, nervous. Like somehow everyone could see right through her, it was unnerving. But the more time she spent with Embry, the more comfortable she felt around him. Sure, she still found it hard to make conversation, or even just pay attention. And yes, they'd still probably spent no more than 20-30 minutes alone together total, but their brief encounters made her feel less lonely somehow.

Of course, Alex spent plenty of time with her grandmother, but it wasn't really the same. She was used to talking to grandmother frequently, and had long ago learned how to shield her private life from her grandma's questions and prying eyes. But even with her defence, Helen had still noticed Alex's antisocial behavior and would constantly bagger her to make an effort. So when Embry had showed up to fix her car, she had asked him if he'd be interested in a little movie night - something she'd told him she'd done with her friends back home frequently. She said she hadn't met many people yet so she had no one to have them with. He had readily agreed, and they decided on Wednesday night and five o'clock.

It was 4:53, and Alex was panicking. What had possessed her to do this? She barely knew the man, and now he was coming over for a movie marathon - just the two of them. She was almost hyperventilating, how was she suppose to keep up conversation for the night when she couldn't even do it for five minutes. 4:56. Oh god. Was it too late to cancel?

At five on the dot, her doorbell rang, and she froze.


	7. Chapter 7 - Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

Frankly y'all, if you don't know by now I don't own Twilight, any of its dialogue, characters, or plots, then I don't what else to say.

Oh, and approximately 0 people have commented on this escapade of mine so I don't know if you love it, are neutral, or want to burn it then stab it and throw it in the sea. I also have no idea if the nearly doubled chapter length is working for you or not. Or maybe you're not even reading it. Oh well, I shall power on.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _It was 4:53, and Alex was panicking. What had possessed her to do this? She barely knew the man, and now he was coming over for a movie marathon - just the two of them. She was almost hyperventilating, how was she suppose to keep up conversation for the night when she couldn't even do it for five minutes. 4:56. Oh god. Was it too late to cancel?_

 _At five on the dot, her doorbell rang, and she froze._

* * *

Chapter Seven - Movie Night

Embry could hear her quick shallow breaths and her frantic heartbeat. He wanted to run inside, examine every inch of her body, and make sure she was ok but he stayed put. She would probably just run away screaming if he did. So instead he waited. It only took her 68 seconds by his count to calm her heartbeat some and start to move. When she opened the door, he smiled at her and tried to discretely examine her with his eyes. She didn't appear to be injured.

"Hi Embry, um, come on in," she pushed the door open all the way.

He took of his shoes, leaving them on the mat by the door, and then followed her to the kitchen. He placed a brown paper bag on the counter. "I brought some stuff for us, I figured junk food goes great with movies." She smiled at him over her shoulder, pulling out two large round sheets of dough from the fridge.

"It also goes well with pizza. I didn't know what you liked on yours so I thought I'd wait to throw them together until you got here," she indicated a group of topping on the counter. "And whatever's in the fridge too I suppose. Though I don't think chicken noodle soup would make a good pizza."

She was finally talking a little, he wasn't about to let her stop, "Oh, well I'll eat anything, basically a garbage can." She smiled again, man he loved her smile. "So you choose. What do you like on your pizza?"

"I mostly stick with cheese or Hawaiian pizzas. On rare occasion, I like alfredo sauce with chicken, spinach, and tomatoes. I know how boys eat though, so whatever you like on one, and we can do half and half on the other?"

"How about one and one? I'll eat whatever you don't, and I seriously will eat anything. Everything you just said sounded good."

"Ok, we can do that. You just tell me what you want and I'll put it together."

Fifteen minutes later Alex was throwing one Hawaiian pizza and one absolutely everything pizza into the oven while Embry set up the living room. He put out the oreos, twizzlers, and soda that he brought as well as the popcorn and cookies Alex had prepared. When she joined him in the living room she sat on the couch she pulled one of the throw blankets over her lap.

"I didn't know what you wanted to watch, but I pulled a stack of movies out earlier," she pointed to a stack of dvds on the entertainment center. "I'm good with any of those."

He nodded and looked over the titles. They ranged from movies like Willy Wonka, to The Hangover He picked up Super Size Me. "Now I think I'd just feel bad watching this while we eat all this junk." She smiled. Noticeably absent from the pile were horror movies and romance movies. He wondered if that were on purpose. "How many are we watching?"

She thought about it for a second, "How about two? It's movie night, but also a weeknight."

"How about Grown Ups and...Home Alone then?" She nodded in agreement and he put Home Alone in before joining her on the couch.

"I love this movie, we used to watch it all the time when I was little. Especially at Christmas," she said quietly.

"Yeah it's a classic. We watched it at my house too, this kid is just so damn funny."

They sat in companionable silence then, watching the opening credits on the screen. She was lost in thought, remembering when she was little and watching it with her brother. They used to watch it every Christmas Eve before they went to bed to wait for Santa. She shook her head, pulling herself back from her memories. Now was not the time.

Embry made sure to keep plenty of room between them. He knew she was probably already felt uncomfortable, and didn't want to make it worse. When he had shown up to fix her car he hadn't come up with any other reasons to see her, so he was surprised but thankful when she suggested it. He was going to do his best to make the night easy for her, so maybe she'd want to do it again sometime.

The timer in the kitchen went off and they paused the movie while Alex went to take the pizzas out. She put them on the counter to cool, before joining him on the couch again. Embry started to fidget. With every passing minute his movement became more pronounced until Alex picked up the remote and stopped the movie and turned to look at him.

"You're worse than my nephew, I swear. And he's five. Why are guys incapable of being patient when food is involved?"

Embry laughed, "I'm capable! But, seriously, that smells delicious and I'm starving."

She rolled her eyes and made her way to the kitchen, "Well, we wouldn't want you to wither away, would we?"

"Definitely not."

Alex grabbed two plates from the cupboard and a stack of napkins, and took the parmesan cheese out of the refrigerator. She grabbed two pieces and two cups of ice for the soda, then watched as Embry piled an entire pizza on his plate. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? I'm really hungry. I don't want to have to get up again during the movie," she continued look at him skeptically. "I'm a growing man, I need my nutrients."

Alex shook her head and went back out to the couch, crossing one leg under her with the other hanging off the edge. Embry poured the pop and she hit play again. They finished the movie off in near silence, no talking, just occasionally laughter at the kids antics then decided to take a bathroom break before the next movie. Alex loaded their plates into the dishwasher and wiped down the counter, putting the leftover pizza (one sad piece) in a small container in the fridge. When Embry came back she was washing off the pizza pans and the kitchen was spotless.

"I was going to clean up, I feel bad now. You cooked."

She shrugged, "I don't mind."

"Well is there anything I can do?"

"How about you get two glasses of milk and the covered tub out of the fridge?"

He nodded and set to work pouring two large glasses then grabbed a blue container out of the refrigerator. He lifted the lid, and almost started drooling. "Cheesecake?" The were thin slivers of apple piled high on top with walnuts and the entire thing was drenched in caramel. "God it looks so good."

"It's caramel apple cheesecake, one of my favorites." She moved from the sink, where she had stacked the pans in the drying rack, and pulled out two plates, two forks, and a knife. Slowly, she cut the cheesecake in large pieces then placed a piece on one plate, and two on the other before putting it back in the fridge.

They started Grown Ups while they ate their dessert, Embry devoured his quickly before starting on the oreos and cookies. Alex ate slowly, savouring every bite and Embry caught himself staring whenever she wasn't looking. Whenever she laughed her eyes crinkled around the edges, but then she'd bite her lip like she didn't want to be laughing. She had moved a few inches closer to him, though there was still distance there. Occasionally she'd get caramel on her lip, and lick it off. He was going crazy.

He'd been so focused on her that he when she lifted the remote to stop the movie he was surprised to see it had ended. He checked his watch, it was a little after 8:30. He stood, stretching, and quickly moved to help her clean off the coffee table and wash their plates.

"Thanks, Embry. You really didn't have to help." Every time she said his name it sounded sweet.

"After that cheesecake?" He teased, smiling at her.

By nine o'clock the house had been cleaned and the empty junk food containers had been tossed. Alex walked Embry to the door while he thanked her for their movie night.

"Oh! Wait, hold on a second, I'll be right back," she disappeared back into the house and into the kitchen, he heard the refrigerator open. She came back carrying the cheesecake container. "You should take this with you, I'm certainly not going to eat it all."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Well, thank you. I had a really good time."

"Me too."

"I'll see you around then," he stepped away from her and down the porch steps. He didn't hear the front door close until he reached his truck and he put the cheesecake on the passenger seat before climbing in. She still hadn't talked a lot, but it was an improvement. By the end of the night, she had even seemed almost comfortable with him there. It wasn't a lot, but he would take it. He smiled, like an idiot, at the cheesecake the whole way home. One more reason to see her.

Fine. That was fine. He didn't seem to think she was crazy, at least. The movies provided a good distraction and mostly eliminated the need for conversation, as she had hoped. And now she could tell her grandma she was trying, she had made an effort. Embry seemed to appreciate the food, at any rate. Plus, he didn't seem to think it was weird that she barely spoke to him and he didn't push the conversation either.

She even felt marginally comfortable around him now. After her initial panic attack, things had gone smoothly. Embry was easy going and relaxed and his calm had seemingly spread to her throughout the night. If he was content with few words and lots of food, it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe, this could work. Maybe, they could be friends...or as close as she ever got to friends. As long as he didn't push her.


	8. Chapter 8 - Panic

**Author's Note:**

Hello, loves! I'm a little nervous but excited about this chapter.

For starters, I got my first review, and am completely ecstatic to be receiving feedback. I honestly love writing this story and if just one of you is enjoying this, that makes it worth it to me. I'm still developing these characters and am not really sure yet where this is headed. I'm trying to just let it happen and see where it leads me, so if I take a wrong turn or two, please feel free to let me know.

Secondly, this chapter dives into Alex's discomfort around people and starts to explore a very real part of life for some people. Trying to portray it accurately is difficult, especially as I don't have a lot of personal experience with it.

I'm just about to get to the story part so bare with me for a few more lines. MenacingPancake had a few questions that I'd like to answer for you all because I think it may be helpful in picturing the story. I haven't said it, but Alex is 24 years old, and Embry is around 27. The story begins about ten years after Breaking Dawn - I think that frame of reference is important as we go along, so I'm thankful it was asked.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Eight - Panic

It had been one week since Alex had Embry over for movie night, and since then he'd found himself at her house three more times. The first time being just two days after their movie night when he returned the cheesecake container. It had been a brief visit, but she hadn't pushed him out the door. The second visit was Saturday, when Sam sent him over to set up her porch swing. He had taken his sweet time, and she'd even sat outside with him while he worked. The third time came two days later, when he went to retrieve a water bottle he had 'accidentally' forgotten there while working on the swing.

She still spoke infrequently, but he'd added several points to the list of things he knew about her. Her grandma, on her father's side, was the reason she loved to cook and never went to a gathering empty handed. She had an older brother named Eric, who she seemed to have adored when they were little, judging from her smiles. The dark look that quickly followed that smile, however, told him that may not still be the case. She loved dyed sunflowers, and her favorite color was blue. She'd moved to La Push to be near her grandma because, at 73, she was getting older and her health was declining. She was sweet, and when he asked her too many questions, her pulse speed up.

Now, he was out of excuses to visit her. He wondered briefly if they had reached a point where she'd be comfortable with him popping by to just hang out, but he doubted it. Any other girl probably wouldn't mind, any other imprint most likely would have been happy. But Alex was different. Dealing with a married woman meant he had to be carefully about how he went about becoming her friend. Dealing with Alex meant he had to go twice as slow.

Alex still hadn't mentioned her husband, and Embry hadn't found it in him to ask about the ring she wore. Hearing her finally say it, say she was married...he wasn't sure he could handle that. There was a difference between knowing there was a man out there she loved enough to marry, and hearing her talk about it. He wasn't sure he was prepared for it, but he'd have to soon either way, because he needed to know about him. Needed to know if he would take care of her, love her, provide for her. Needed to know if she was happy. If he knew she was happy with him, he thought it might make being just her friend easier. A small part of him wondered if the reason she didn't talk about her husband was because she _wasn't_ happy with him, and then he wasn't sure what he would do.

To fulfill his need to be close to her, he often patrolled around her house. He found assuring himself she was safe lessened the uneasiness he felt when they were apart. On the days he didn't get to see her, he'd pick up extra shifts so he could be near here while giving the others more time with their own imprints. He tried to keep busy with the garage but he found the longer he was away from her, the harder it was to focus at work. He needed to see her, and the more he saw her, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

Finally, on Thursday, Mrs. Walks called Sam. She had talked her granddaughter into hosting a housewarming party because she thought she needed to meet new people and mingle. She was in charge of the guest list, and thought the boys and their partners would be perfect. Sam suspected that Mrs. Walks had an idea of the imprint, but he couldn't be sure. So when Sam asked Embry about what he thought they should do, Embry was unsure. That many people, especially that many people their size, could easily frighten her. He didn't want her overwhelmed and uncomfortable. They'd decided that just a few of them, with their imprints, would attend.

Sam had told Mrs. Walks that most of the boys were busy, but that he and Emily, Jared and Kim, plus Embry would be coming. Embry knew she'd still be nervous, but with only five of them plus her grandma, it shouldn't completely overwhelm her.

He was wrong. Dead wrong. He'd completely underestimated the level of discomfort she felt around others. When he'd arrived, almost an hour early under the pretense of offering her help preparing, her hands were shaking, her heartbeat was erratic, and she was sweating. Her eyes wouldn't focus on him, instead they were jetting around the room and a mile a minute

"Alex? Alex, what's wrong?" She was pacing and shaking in the kitchen.

"It - It'll be over soon, I'm fine."

He didn't know what she meant, he was starting to panic, "Alex, what will be over soon?"

"This," she motioned to herself. "I'll be fine in a little wh-while."

She didn't sound so sure. "Has this happened before?" She nodded. "We can cancel, Alex, if you want. They'll all understand." She shook her head. "Does your grandma know?" Another shake of the head. "What can I do?"

She didn't answer, just paced. Her heart continued to thump irregularly. She was nervous, anxious, but this was a level he hadn't seen before. The dinner was too much, he could tell. He thought if it were just the five of them she would be fine, but clearly that wasn't happening.

"Alex, I'm going to call Sam and your grandma and cancel. We can do it another time, ok? They'll understand, I can just tell them you're sick." When she didn't respond he continued, "I'm going to step outside and call them, ok? I'll be right back."

He called Mrs. Walks first, telling her he'd showed up early to help Alex and found that she was sick. He promised her that Sam would reschedule it with her, and assured she didn't have to take care of Alex, he had it under control. Then he called Sam.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam, it's Embry. I'm at Alex's right now, and she's freaking out. Her heartbeat is all over the place and she's shaking. I really don't think this is a good idea right now, I called Mrs. Walks and told her Alex was sick."

"Is she ok? Do you need any help?"

"I don't know Sam, she's just pacing in there. I just, I think we should reschedule."

"Ok, whatever she needs. I'll tell Kim and Jared."

"Thank you, Sam. I'm going to stay and make sure she's ok."

"Of course, tell us if you need anything."

When they'd hung up, he felt better. Of course they would be ok with them cancelling, if it was what she needed. She was family now, even if she didn't know it. Even if it wasn't the way they'd all come to expect. If she needed something, they would do their best to help. They wouldn't be upset.

So he went back inside, trying to think of what to do to help her. Maybe once he told her they weren't coming, it would be ok. He went back into the kitchen and sat on one of the stools, giving her some distance. "I told them that you were sick and that tonight wasn't a good time. They said they hope you feel better. They're not upset, Alex, ok? No one's coming, it's ok."

He sat there, watching her continue to pace across the kitchen. She was still shaking, and sweating, but her pulse was calming down. He moved to the stove to stir something that was boiling, potatoes, and turned off the oven when the timer went off. Her pacing slowed. He pulled the pan of chicken out of the oven as well as a dish of green beans before turning of the stove. He wasn't sure how long the potatoes were suppose to cook, he didn't want to ruin them. As he continued to cook, she calmed down. She stopped pacing next to the island, watching him remove the chicken from the pan and place the pieces carefully into a large glass dish. When he had done all he could do, he turned back to her. She seemed better, her hands were barely shaking anymore.

"How are we doing?" He asked, carefully taking a couple steps towards her.

"Better, thank you. I'm sorry about that."

He shook his head, "Nothing to apologize for as long as you're ok."

"I am. That...well, it happens sometimes,' she shrugged.

"Can I ask why? Or what exactly 'that' was?" Her pulse sped up again. "Hey, hey, it's ok, Alex. It's just me, you don't have to be nervous. You don't even have to answer, ok?"

He waited for her to calm down again. "Sorry."

"It's ok, why don't you take a minute and then we can have dinner - I mean you already did all the cooking," he smiled at her and she nodded before leaving the room. He heard her go up the stairs and then the sink in the bathroom turn on.

He took plates and silverware out of the cupboards and drawers and set the table. He put the dish of chicken in the middle of the table and the green beans next to before going to drain the potatoes and putting them back in their pot - not sure if they were done. He poured them each a glass of soda. The water had shut off upstairs but she hadn't left the bathroom so he started on cleaning the pans before sitting at the table to wait for her. When she came back down, she looked better and mashed the potatoes without a word. They ate in silence for a while before she set her fork down on her plate and looked at him for a minute.

"It's called a panic attack, I have them sometimes." He looked up at her in surprise. "I don't have them a lot, but they started when I was in highschool."

She was talking, voluntarily, and he wasn't going to stop her. She looked...determined, though he couldn't figure out why.

"I...People make me nervous. I'm not really sure why," that was a lie, he could tell, her pulse gave it away. He didn't call her on it though, just happy to be getting some of the truth. "Not a lot of people know, I haven't told my grandma. I just, I don't want anyone to look at me differently."

"Who does know?"

"Just my friend Carrie and my husband."

There it was, out in the open now. She had said the words.

"Husband?" He tried to control his voice.

"Yeah, my husband, his name is Mark." She was smiling, actually smiling. And so he had his answer.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:**

This is here at the bottom since my Author's note was long, but y'all already know I am not the lovely brunette making the millions off of Twilight because I don't own it. Sadly.


	9. Chapter 9 - Walls

**Author's Note:**

Hello my dears!

I apologize for the delay in posting these next couple of chapters. We're in the process of moving and the internet cut off and hook up did not go as smoothly as hoped. _Somebody_ accidentally told the mystical internet providers that the day we wanted it turned off was last Wednesday, and that was clearly too early. However, I have the almighty power of the internet again and will be posting (hopefully) a few chapters today.

Granted, I now live in the middle of nowhere so my internet has a very low data cap (as in, one measly 30 minute trip to Netflix could use it up) and I'm sad. But at least I have internet. So onward.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Nine - Walls

She wasn't just married, she was happily married. And that made a big difference to Embry. Once he'd seen her smile, everything changed. He didn't realize it until he'd left her house later that night, but he'd been holding out hope that she could still be his. If she had been unhappy with Mark, he could have had a chance with her. But he couldn't take away her happiness, that would hurt him too.

Instead, he ran through the woods at full speed. How could this be his fate? How could he know she was his soulmate and yet know they could only ever be friends? He was torn between wanting her, and wanting her to be happy. He'd seen imprinting before, and sure sometimes it had been complicated, but they always ended up together. That's how he always thought it would be for him, when he found his imprint.

So he ran faster, pushing himself further. If he could run fast enough or far enough then maybe it wouldn't be real. Maybe he wouldn't have to choose between her happiness and his. He tried to block the others out, tried not to hear what they were thinking but he was too upset to manage.

They pitied him. He didn't want their pity. He had enough of his own. Seth was the worst, he believed imprinting was the best thing, and couldn't wait for it to happen to him. This was his worst nightmare. A broken imprint. _Ouch_.

 _Friends, Embry. Be her friend._ It was Jacob.

 _Meh, screw the husband._ Paul.

 _But she's his soulmate, how could she be with someone else?_ Seth.

He was done - he could barely handle his own thoughts as it was. He phased back and dressed quickly then jogged home.

She had opened up to him, finally. Even if he could tell she wasn't telling the whole truth. Though he thought the new openness was only because he'd barged in on part of the truth anyways. She started getting panic attacks early in high school, but every time she claimed there was no trigger she flinched. She'd only confined in a few people, not even telling her parents - though that seemed like a lie too.

She'd known Mark and Carrie since they were all little. They were her best friends, and the only ones who she'd thought would understand without thinking she was a freak. They'd supported her. Carrie was her best friend, and still called her daily. They'd even gone to the same college and shared a small apartment after Mark had gone to law school.

He wondered how the two of them were so comfortable spending that much time apart, but couldn't bare to ask about him yet. He wanted to know when they'd started dating, when they got married - but he didn't want to hear the answers. Didn't want to know the smile on her face was because she was thinking of him.

He was much more comfortable asking about Carrie. Their mothers had been friends in college, and it made sense that when they both had children they'd bring them along whenever they wanted to hang out to keep each other company. They'd gotten along well, and continued to be friends even after their moms stopped talking.

 _"She just...she's great. She's been there for everything, ya know? Never turned her back on me. She's my best friend, I couldn't ask for better." Alex was quiet for a moment, smiling into some far off place. "She never asked questions, or at least never pushed for answers. She always let me go to her when I was ready, and was always so calm. She never takes anything badly, she's very...composed. I haven't seen her truly upset by anything, ever. Even when we were little, she had far fewer tantrums than I did. I miss her."_

It was the most she'd ever said at once, at least voluntarily and without being uncomfortable. He remembered the serene smile on her face as she talked about Carrie. She'd talked about Carrie's 'mom' personality, and how Carrie often looked after her when she was sick or stressed. How, even when they were little, Carrie always was the one cautioning her to be safe. He liked Carrie, though he'd never met her. But she sounded level headed, and her presence in Alex's life seemed to make her happy.

 _"She sounds great."_

 _"She really is."_

 _"How'd she handle...I mean when you..." He sighed. He wanted to be delicate, gentle, but he wanted to know. "With your panic attacks, what did she do to...to help? I mean, I didn't know what..."_

 _"I'm sorry, I often forget how they must look from the outside. I know that must have made you nervous. You did well, just so you know...you didn't try to slap me or anything." She smiled sideways at him. "You want to know what helps?"_

 _"Yes. What I can do, if it happens again."_

 _"They run their own course, really. Carrie, after I had the first one, researched for hours and hours. She decided on some general guidelines, but everyone is different," Alex shrugged. "For me, like a lot of people, I need warning if someone's going to touch me while I'm having attack. Carrie figured out if she told me she was going to touch my shoulder, or hug me, it helped. No warning can make it worse. Mostly, she'd just try to distract me."_

 _"Distract you?"_

 _"Yeah. She'd pull out a puzzle or make me do some mundane chore. It helped. We always had tons of half finished puzzles around our apartment in college. Your cooking was distracting, as a general rule other people don't cook in my kitchen."_

 _He had wanted to apologize, but she was smiling at him._

Maybe there was something about him seeing her like that, seeing her at her worst, that had made the new, more open, Alex come out. She had appeared at ease, sitting across the table from him. Her voice didn't shake when she spoke, and her heartbeat didn't soar randomly. She had still been guarded and careful, but not nervous.

He had felt before like he was slowly, painstakingly, tearing away at her walls with his bare hands though all he'd wanted was to go at them with a wrecking a ball. That night, she'd opened a door, let him in past the brick. He knew he'd still have to go slow and be careful, but he didn't think he'd have to walk on eggshells anymore.

He fell back onto his bed as he was struck with an unwelcome thought. What if it didn't matter, now, that he'd broken through? If she was as happy with Mark as she seemed, why was he trying? He had thought that maybe, if he could be her friend, he'd have a shot with her. He had thought that she couldn't possibly be happy with her husband, and that perhaps, that's why she was his imprint. He had believed he could bring her so much more happiness, because they were meant to be. But what if that was wrong? Could he be just be her friend for the rest of their lives, even though they were soulmates?

He didn't have any answers. His head was spinning and his heart ached. He didn't know how it would all work out but laying there staring at his ceiling he felt the pull, and he knew he couldn't stay away.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:**

Still not Stephenie Meyer so I do not own Twilight or the characters found within its pages.


	10. Chapter 10 - Mark

**Author's Note:**

Hey y'all.

If I have successfully finished this tonight (it's only eleven o'clock but way past my bedtime), then hopefully this is the second chapter I'm posting today to make up for the week or so of deadness. Woo hoo! Perhaps I'll get a third in, otherwise watch for another one (or two) to be posted on Friday.

So hopefully I can edit this in the wee hours of the morning during nonpeak data hours (when I have access to spell check and am hopefully not so tired), but I apologize in advance for any mistakes. I will have another crack at editing sometime this weekend when I go in search of free wifi. In the meantime, please don't judge too harshly.

Limited internet sucks.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _He didn't have any answers. His head was spinning and his heart ached. He didn't know how it would all work out but laying there staring at his ceiling he felt the pull, and he knew he couldn't stay away._

* * *

Chapter Ten - Mark

Mark had skyped early, wanting to see how the dinner went. She knew he was checking up on her, making sure she was okay.

"So, how'd the big dinner go? Any new friends?"

"Well, actually...it didn't happen."

"No?" He sounded surprised, but more concerned than before.

"Embry came early and found me in the midst of one my panic attacks"

"Oh Als, I'm so sorry."

"He cancelled the dinner with everyone, told them I was sick. He said we could do it any other time. He was very nice about it all, I think it made him nervous though," Alex admitted.

"Well, at least he was nice. Did you...explain it to him?"

"Yes and no. I told him what it was, but I didn't think he needed to know more than that. I don't need his pity."

"Alex, sweetheart, I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but not everyone is going to start treating you like an invalid if they know. I don't."

"I know you don't, but you're different."

"Maybe you should start giving people a chance."

In college, Mark had always pushed Alex to get to know people. Someone. Anyone. He didn't like how shut away she was, he thought it might make her unhappy someday. He knew people made her nervous, but he'd always thought that if she took it slow she'd be okay. One friend at a time, he'd always said. She had tried, but an increase in panic attacks made him back off.

"Maybe."

"You look like my wife, you sound like my wife, and yet my wife would never agree to that." Mark smiled at her, his adorable lopsided smile.

She grinned back and stuck out her tongue, "I'm capable of change."

"Of course you're capable, I just never thought I'd see it happen," he teased. "La Push must be agreeing with you."

"Who knows. Everyone has been friendly and Nana is happy to have me here. She's been so sweet."

"She's missed you, of course she's happy you're there."

"I think she's been lonely, with no family here. It's good we're doing this. Thank you, by the way. I don't think I've said that."

"I'm just glad you're happy. You seem...better."

"I don't know about that, but it is nice to be out here. It rains constantly, of course, but it's pretty and I've missed her. Other than my now having to miss you, this was a great idea."

Mark had been the one to suggest their move to La Push, though she'd protested. It wasn't that she didn't want to be near her grandma, and she didn't have anything against rain, but Mark had been her rock for years, and the idea of being away from him was unsettling.

"I miss you too. I'll be there soon, I promise."

She'd asked him about work and how everything was going and watched him talk animatedly. He loved being a lawyer, and not just because his father was a judge and had also attended law school. He loved what he did. Especially this new case.

Originally, they had planned to move to La Push together in June. Then a file came across his desk one day in February and she could tell he wanted to work it. She'd told him he should take it, that the plans weren't final and they could make some adjustments. So they'd moved to an apartment in New York, selling their home in Illinois. They'd agreed on a fixer-upper on the outskirts of La Push, and hired a construction crew to do the work. While he worked, she designed their house.

He seemed incredibly excited about the case, but had been worried about Alex. The sheer number of people in New York City was overwhelming for her. He'd offered to catch someone else up on the job and move once the house was finished, but she couldn't let him do that for her. So they'd compromised. She would stay with him in the city until the house was done, then go and get settled in and everything set up, and when he was done he would follow.

Neither had been thrilled about the idea of living apart again, him being away for law school had been difficult for them, but it was only a few months. So when the house was done at the beginning of September Alex took a few weeks packing up her things before heading across the country. Listening to him talk about his job, watching his green eyes sparkle as his hands moved frantically through the air - she knew they'd made the right decision.

"- and I mean you should have seen his face. Of course a lot of people are really excited about this, it's giving a lot of people hope. But just to see his face, Als, it was great. He was thrilled, he almost cried. I'm so glad I get to this."

"That sounds amazing, I'm glad you're helping them."

"Thank you, for everything, Als. I know this is hard, and I know you've sacrificed a lot for this. I miss you, and I know is can't be easy for you either. But thank you for everything."

"Of course. I just want you happy, Mark."

"You too, Als."

Something passed between them then, and neither could put a finger on it. It'd been happening a lot more recently, these moments of...something. They never mentioned it, and hurried to move on, but neither could say what exactly it was.

"So, are you going to reschedule that dinner?"

"I think so. I mean Nana will be there, and of course I'm perfectly fine with her. Embry will come, and I'm becoming more comfortable with him. Sam and Emily, who I'm not sure about..."

"Well, Sam should be fine. I mean think about how much time you must have spent calling and texting him while redoing the house."

"That's true. And then Jared and Kim. I've never met them, but all in all that's six people. Hopefully the next attempt will go better."

"I'm sure it will, Als. You're stronger than you think."

"You have to say that, you're my husband."

"No, I don't. Listen, Als. I know it's hard for you to think about, but you've made it through a lot, and survived. You don't seem to think that's because of you, and who you are, but it is."

"No, it's because you saved me. You and your dad."

He shook his, "Alex, how long did you make it before you even told me? It was years before you said anything. You didn't tell anyone, but you still got through. That's strength, Als. I know you don't see it, but I do. And I know you think your panic attacks somehow make you less, but they don't. I know I push you, but it's not because I think you're weak. I push you because I know how strong you are, and I know you can do it. I push you because I think you'd be happier if you could learn to let people in. But honestly, Als, you could take on anything."

"Thank you."

"I know you haven't told anyone else. I know, it's just Carrie and I, but maybe you should think about not hiding so much. There's nothing to be ashamed of, Als. None of that, not any of it, is on you. I know you don't want to advertise it, and I understand, but you don't always have to keep it under lock and key. Like tonight, with Embry. If he saw your panic attack...well it would have been natural to tell him why. He's probably curious."

"And if I had told him and he -"

"No. Not everyone is going to react the way you think. Sure, maybe some people will pity you, treat you like you're made of glass but not all of them. And if they do, Als, then they aren't worth it. You're such an amazing woman, and if they can't see that, they aren't worth it."

She'd known him since she was two, but he still managed to surprise her. He was always so sweet with her, always understanding but never careful. He never treated her like she was broken. And for as many times as he'd pushed her, encouraged her to make friends, he'd never put it that way before.

"I love you, Als. Every piece."

"I love you too."

As she closed her laptop, she was struck again with how much she missed him. The court dates were set for the middle of December, and then it would take him a few weeks to pack and get everything in order, but the new year would be theirs.

* * *

 **Note and Disclaimer:**

So this kind of came out differently than the other with the perspective and all. I wasn't exactly expecting it, it just kind of happened, so let me know what you think.

Also, sadly I still haven't found a fairy that will give me a life swap with Stephenie Meyer so Twilight and any characters you recognize from it still belong to her.


	11. Chapter 11 - Dinner Parties

Author's Note:

Hello gorgeous doves!

First of all, I know I said Friday and in my defense it's still Friday here. Late Friday, but still Friday.

I'm writing all of these new chapter with WordPad because that's what happens when you don't have things like Microsoft Word or internet access, so I apologize for any formatting errors. I also don't have spell check or a word count so it's kind of a nightmare, but I will power through. (I did manage to re-check the last two chapters and update them with some spelling and grammar corrections).

In the meantime, I'd like to know what y'all thought about the last chapter, I know it was a little different than the usual.

Happy Friday!

* * *

Chapter Eleven - Dinner Parties

After the 'almost dinner', as Embry had been thinking of it, he'd felt more comfortable stopping by Alex's house or inviting her to his. He managed to spend at least an hour with her nearly every day since she'd opened up and he'd been relatively happy the last two weeks because of it. As long as he didn't think too much. As long as he didn't think about _him._

Just two days after the groups cancelled dinner, Embry managed to convince Alex to meet Sam and Emily. It had gone so well that they'd ended up rescheduling the original dinner for later that week, and despite a short panic attack, it went smoothly. He remembered watching Alex drive to Sam and Emily's the first time.

 _Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel and her eyes never left the road. She was silent, her usually pale pink lips were almost blue as she smashed them into a tight line. Though her heart thumped unevenly, he could tell she was determined to see it through so he stayed silent. The drive was tense, and when they pulled up to the yellow house, she turned off the engine but made no move to get out. After a few minutes of silence he determined that she needed a little reassurance._

" _Ya know, the first time I met Sam and Emily I was scared. Sam's a big guy, kind of intimidating, a little stern maybe, but can I let you in on a secret?" She nodded. "He's a really nice guy, and underneath everything he's nothing but a teddy bear. You'll see. Plus, Emily is always around to keep him in line. She's the best. She's a really good cook too, and don't tell Sam I said this because he'd smack me , but you're better."_

 _He grinned at her playfully and winked, trying to ease at least a little of the tension he could see in the way she held her shoulders. It worked, and she gave him a weak smile. He opened his door and climbed out before walking around the driver's side and opening her's. He offered her his hand and she took it, but he stopped instead of helping her out and looked up at her._

" _Really, it's going to be fine. Emily and Sam, well, they're like family to me and they're great people but I'll understand if it gets to be too much for you. If that happens, just give some sort of sign or tell me and we can go, ok? You're not...if this isn't what you want, then ok. Just let me know."_

 _He needed to make sure it was her choice, that she knew she had a choice. If he was going to be her friend, be in her life, everything they did had to be her choice. He couldn't push her, couldn't force her. He wanted her to know, that if she said no, he'd listen. So he waited, hoping she could read between the lines so she knew_ he _was a choice, but also hoped she only saw what he had said so she wouldn't run away._

" _Ok."_

And that had been it. She'd climbed out of the car and walked with him to the front door armed with a container of brownies and it had gone perfectly.

Emily had, of course, welcomed Alex with open arms. Even though he'd forgotten to warn her not stare at Emily's scars, she never did. Sam had been his usual self but had broken the ice easily, asking her about the house and the work he'd done for her. By the end of the afternoon, Alex seemed comfortable in their home, though she never completely relaxed. Embry hadn't expected her to adjust so quickly to the two, though he supposed it was hard for her to worry about anything other than her stomach ache when Emily kept pushing food at her. She'd even arranged for Sam to help her design/build a computer desk for the office.

Since it'd gone so well, and because Alex had met and was semi-comfortable with Sam and Emily, Embry suggested she think about rescheduling the dinner, even potentially scaling it back to just be five of them. She'd decided that rescheduling was a good idea, but insisted they didn't have to disinvite Kim and Jared. She was going to try. So she'd call everyone up and found an evening they were all free. Embry was worried she'd have another panic attack, so he'd arrived even earlier than before.

 _He walked up to her door and knocked, with flowers in hand. He had debated in the car whether or not it was inappropriate, considering she was married and he liked her, but he decided it was fine since she was hosting. But as he stood there waiting for her to answer, he was suddenly nervous and rethinking his decision. She was married, why was he bringing her flowers._

 _"Embry, is that you? Just come on in its open," he heard her call from upstairs. He open her front door and stood in the entryway, unsure what he was suppose to do. "Can you come up here for a sec? I was getting ready and the bathroom sink started spitting and I can't get it to stop. I'm in the master."_

 _He hurried up the staircase and around the corner, then up one more small set of stairs to the attic, where the master bedroom was. He walked through the room to the door in the corner where he knew the master bath was and then stopped. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom looking speculatively at the sink that was, in fact, shooting water in every direction. But that wasn't what stopped him. Her hair was up in a messy bun with a few loose strands running wild, and she was wearing nothing but a short, grey cotton bathrobe. God, her legs phenomenal. They were pale and creamy and smooth and..._

 _"Oh thank god, I'm glad you're here. I tried to stop it but I think I just made it mad. Can you help? Embry?"_

 _He shook his head and refocused his gaze up to her face as she turned to her head sideways to look at him. "Yeah, just let me take a look."_

 _"I'm going to get some towels and dry of the floor, it's soaked." She went to a little nook in the back and came back with a stack of towels and threw them all around the floor. "I'm so sorry, I know this isn't what you wanted to be doing. I just have no idea how to do these things."_

 _"It's fine, not a problem at all. It shouldn't take me long at all. Do you have any tools?"_

 _"In the garage, I'll go grab them and be right ba-"_

 _"I'll get them, I'm not sure what all I'll need."_

 _"Oh, ok."_

 _He left her and her tempting legs standing in the pale blue room as he headed to the garage. When he came back with a small bag of tools her legs were covered in a pair of dark jeans and she was wearing a grey turtle neck. Her hair was wet still, but she was rubbing it in a towel. Her blue eyes met his and she smiled. "Find what you need?"_

 _"Yeah, this shouldn't take long."_

 _"Thank, Embry. I'm going to go check on dinner and I'll be right back, hollar if you need anything."_

 _Twenty minutes later he had finished and dried the floor, throwing all the towels into the laundry basket, but she hadn't come back up. He listened carefully and could hear her downstairs, but then he realized her breathing was shallow and quick and she was pacing. He rushed down the stairs, skipping as many as he could but stopped just before the bottom. Puzzles._

 _He changed direction and headed back up to her office on the second floor. She'd said she kept games in her office closet, hopefully that meant puzzles to. He was in luck, there was a stack of puzzles tucked away in the bottom corner, he grabbed two at random and headed back down quickly._

 _He found her pacing the living room, fiddling with her hands. He stood and the end of her trail and waited for her to look at him. When she did, he held up the two options, "Air Balloons or Kittens?"_

After that, things were ok. Kim was quiet as per usual, but sweet as always and Jared had been nice, though he hadn't expected anything else. After the panic attack Alex had done well, she hadn't been quite as comfortable as she had been at Emily's but still. Mrs. Walks was more subdued than usual but seemed happy to be there with her granddaughter. Overall it had been a good evening, and Embry had stayed after everyone else left to help her do the dishes and clean up. When he was on his way out she'd invited him to another movie night as a thank you.

They'd watched The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, which he learned were her among her favorites - she could quote almost any line. He'd asked for her number that night, claiming that if they were friends, then they should have a way to get a hold of each other. When the night was over he invited her to his house claiming that while the movie nights were great, it was time for a video game night. He'd invited Seth and Quil, hoping if he'd introduced her to them slowly and in small groups it would be easier. The video game night had taken place only the night before, and had been horrible.

It all started when Quil, with no understanding of what the word subtle meant, asked her where her husband was and only got worse from there...

* * *

Disclaimer:

I don't own Twilight - I do, however, own a highly unflattering neon pink lipstick.


	12. Chapter 12 - Vampires and Video Games

**Author's Note:**

Hello fabulous readers and I am so sorry about the wait! I didn't forget, I promise, I had a family emergency but I'm back now and the next chapter will also be up soon.

I'd like to welcome aboard a new member to this crazy rollercoaster ride, LemonDropMartini, who has very graciously agreed to put up with me and beta read for this story. I hope you all appreciate it as much as I do. The previous chapters will be updated soon with some grammatical corrections as well as a few wording changes but don't fret you don't have to go reread it all (unless you want to) as they're not all out rewrites.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _It all started when Quil, with no understanding of what the word subtle meant, asked her where her husband was, and only got worse from there..._

* * *

Chapter Twelve - Video Games and Vampires

 _Dude, when are you going to tell her?_ This was Quil, again.

He'd asked the same question every time he and Embry ran together. It was really all Paul's fault. No one had said a word until it had crossed Paul's mind the night of the would-be-dinner-party, after a fight with his father. He'd been doing well at not phasing, given his temper, but sometimes it was too much. Once he calmed down, and after seeing the events of that evening through Embry's eyes, Paul had wondered if Alex would ever know their secret. Since then, Quil had been pushing Embry to tell her their hairy secret nonstop, and Embry was going to pummel him.

 _No._

 _You have to._

 _No._

 _She's an imprint, you have to tell her._

 _SHUT UP! I AM NOT GOING TO TELL HER, NOW OR EVER! SHE'S NOT MINE, AND SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE, SO I'M GOING TO SPARE HER THE PAIN. JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!_

 _Whoa._ It was Seth, having phased just in time to catch the outburst. _What'd I miss?_

Embry could only growl in response. Of course he couldn't tell her. She may have been his imprint, but she was someone else's wife. What was Quil expecting him to do, say 'Hey, I know you're married and you're really happy and in love with Mark, but I'm a werewolf and I imprinted on you so we're soulmates'? No! That was just all kinds of wrong. He wasn't going to do that to her. He would let her be happy, it was what she deserved.

Jacob knew Embry's decision and supported it, for the most part. While Jacob understood why Embry didn't want to tell her, he also thought that it might be best for their growing friendship if, when Alex was ready, he told her about the wolves - just the wolves. He could tell her about the wolves, and leave out the imprinting part. Embry didn't think so. He thought it was a slippery slope and didn't want to risk it. Once she knew one secret, it would be too easy to tell her the rest out of selfishness, or a slip. Or, if he told her, she might wonder why she had been allowed to know the secret and figure it out. So she would never know. Jacob still tried to sway him, because it was possible she'd ask questions about his temperature, or dress, or there might be an accident. It would be easier, if she knew. But he'd decided. Of course, then, Embry hadn't anticipated the events to come.

It was supposed to be an easy-going night; just three werewolves, one gorgeous woman, a few hundred video games, and a tower of pizzas. At first, it seemed to be just that, a fun time. It was all of the makings for a fun night.

Alex had seen Seth a few times when he'd worked at her house, and she'd met Quil the day she moved in, so she was already a little more at ease when she knocked on the door. Her heartbeat always was her tell.

"Hey," he said, swinging the door open to greet her, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey." She couldn't help her answering smile; it was like his happiness was contagious. "I brought brownies." She thrust a huge container toward him. "I may have made too many, though I'm sure they won't go to waste."

"There is no such thing as too many in this house." It was true; with the three of them living together, the fridge was always empty, though they never turned away food. "We won't let any of it go to waste, so not to worry. Come on in, it sounds like they started without us."

Sure enough, once he'd taken her coat and put the brownies in the kitchen, they found Quil and Seth sitting on the floor in the living room yelling at each other as they raced around a track, throwing bananas and turtle shells at each other.

"You started without us," Embry accused.

"Hey, you told us we had to wait to start the racing until she got here, you didn't say she had to be inside," Quil quickly stuck his tongue out at him over his shoulder.

"Very nice guys."

"I wanted to wait but he called me a chicken!" Seth protested, shoving his shoulder against Quil.

"Well I'm sorry about these two; apparently their mothers didn't beat their manners into them enough." He put placed a hand on the small of her back and gently guided her to the couch. "I guess we'll have to wait."

She smiled up at him from her seat as she neatly tucked her feet underneath her. "I don't mind waiting, I'm the one crashing anyways."

"You're not crashing anything. I invited you and I- uh we want you here." He smiled at her, brown eyes meeting blue, and he suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe. She was perfect. They were silent for a moment, until he realized he was staring."Um, so...would you like something to drink?"

"Sure, what do have?"

'Water, Pepsi, Sprite, maybe orange juice?"

"Pepsi would be great."

"Coming right up."

He wanted to kick himself. Could he have been anymore awkward? He grabbed a can of Pepsi and a cup of ice before heading back into the living room. He handed Alex the soda without looking at her, instead turning to face the guys, "We should probably order the pizzas now, it will take them awhile. Any requests?"

"Pepperoni!" Seth yelled, trying to knock Quil over with his shoulder.

"Everything." Quil had taken to ordering his pizzas with everything but anchovies when he was with the guys so they wouldn't tease him. He'd ordered Claire's favorite pizza, cheese and pineapple, once, because he missed her while she was visiting her grandparents in Neah Bay, the Makah reservation, and never heard the end of it; although Embry was starting to understand.

Taking a deep breath he turned to Alex, "And for you?"

"Cheese is good." She was looking past him, at the screen. She'd noticed the awkwardness too. Great.

An hour in, Alex had somehow ended up jammed between Quil and Seth on the floor, dodging light elbows as she attempted, and failed, to beat them. Embry was paying the delivery man for the ten pizzas they'd ultimately ordered as well as four orders of breadsticks and three bottles of Coke. It took two trips to bring the all the pizza into the living room.

"Pizza's here."

"Awesome! What'd we get again?"

"Three pepperoni, three everything, three sausage and pepper, and one cheese." Alex looked at him over her shoulder, eyebrows raised. "Yes, we always eat this much." Her eyebrows rose further. "What? We're growing men." She laughed then, standing up and moving to help him, clearly having given up all hope of winning the race.

"You should all weigh a thousand pounds. If I ate anywhere near that much…" she shook her head smiling. She set up the pizza in four piles on the coffee table that had been pushed to the side and grabbed some extra cups from the kitchen. When she came back, Quil and Seth were piling pizza on paper plates and Embry was putting a movie in the DVD player. She grabbed her own plate and settled into the couch next to Seth, Embry sitting on her other side.

They watched less than the first twenty minutes of the movie before muting it to talk and that's when it happened…

"So, Alex, your Grandma said you have some sort of hunky lawyer husband?" Her eyes widened but she nodded. "Then where is he?"

She didn't answer right away, and for the first time that night she was nervous. She was usually uncomfortable when the subject of her husband came up. At first, she had been thrilled at the sound of his name but after only a couple of mentions she started to become sad and then uncomfortable. Embry suspected it was because she missed Mark but never asked, choosing instead to help her avoid the topic.

"He's working." Her voice was quiet, weak.

"Well that's stupid. Why wouldn't he want to be here with you?" Embry glared at him, trying to get him to shut up.

"He...he really wanted the case so I told him to take it."

"I still think it's stupid. Sounds like a dick move to me. Who wouldn't want to be with their girl if they love them? Especially their wife. " Alex turned red and Embry fought the urge to punch Quil.

"I'll be right back," she nearly whispered.

Once he heard the bathroom door close he punched Quil, hard.

"What the hell man?" Quil asked, rubbing his arm.

"What was that? Seriously? Do you have any idea how uncomfortable you were makin - oh hell!"

"What?"

"You made her cry you jackass!"

"I didn't. She wasn't crying, I swear I di-"

"Listen!" Embry hissed, and the three were silent. After a moment, they could hear her sniffling.

"Aw man! I swear I didn't mean to! I'll...I'll go talk to her or something. I really didn't…"Quil stood up but Embry tugged him back down.

"I doubt she wants you to go talk to her. She probably doesn't even want us to _know_ she's crying. When she comes back out here, we aren't going to say a damn word about it. We are going to play video games and be nice. You got it?"

Seth nodded feverishly but Embry was only looking at Quil, "Yeah, I got it. I really didn't mean to."

Before Alex had left the bathroom, however, the guys heard a loud howl, followed by another. They exchanged looks. Another.

"We'll go see what it is, be right back." Quil and Seth sprinted out the backdoor and Embry sat, waiting. What seemed like only minute later Seth was back. "Dude, I'm sorry but we have to go. We need you too. It's bad. Alex probably shouldn't leave the house... just let her know." He sprinted out again.

What was he suppose to say to her? She was crying in their bathroom because Quil was an ass and he was just supposed to just leave her there? Another howl sounded. He stood up slowly and headed down the hallway and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Hey, Alex? There's a little work emergency and we have to head out. We shouldn't be long so you can just hang out and we'll be back. Okay?"

"Okay." Her voice cracked. He sighed and ran out the back hoping she would stay there, stay safe.

But, as it turned out, Embry and the guys never made it back that night. There were four vampires on the loose running circles around La Push. After a fairly quiet few years, it was strange to have so many at once. They were a little out of practice, but mostly it was just the fact that they'd never had so many vampires near their border at once who weren't the Cullens. They ran until three in the morning, when the vampires finally retreated, and all thoughts of Alex were far from Embry's mind.

When they arrived home they found the pizza boxes and trash had been taken out, the living room clean, and all the lights off. They also found a note, and after reading it Embry had immediately tried to call Alex, but her phone was off. He ran to her house but all her lights were off. He could hear her heart and her breathing so he knew she was ok, physically at least, but he had wanted to apologize. He stayed up until the sun rise, staring at the bright green sticky note she had left. There were deep indents in the note where the words were, so he knew she'd been mad. All it said was two words.

 _Went home_

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 **Disclaimer:**

Sadly my friends, I still don't own Twilight.


	13. Chapter 13 - Aging

**Author's Note:**

Good morning you gorgeous people! (Well, actually, it's like 11 o'clock at night right now but it's morning somewhere, right?)

So first of all, I didn't realize I already posted chapter 12 at the beginning of the month apparently. So I accidentally reposted it thinking it y'all hadn't read it yet. For those of you who missed the announcements due to my poor memory I'd like to say, first of all, I'm sorry about the delay I had a family emergency but am back now.

Second announcement you would have missed, we're welcoming LemonDropMartini who has agreed to beta read for my crazy butt.

This one is really short, sorry, but I didn't want to just throw this in with the next one since it doesn't really fit and the next part feels like it's going to be kind of long (though I make no promises).

Enjoy!

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Chapter Thirteen - Aging

Jacob had increased everyone's patrols, not convinced the group of vampires was gone for good. Paul had even offered to come out of 'retirement' to help since he'd had a recent slip anyways, but Jared had insisted it wasn't necessary. Fifteen wolves was more than enough to take down four vampires they weren't even sure we're coming back. His point was made stronger when, two days after the vampire visit, their numbers jumped to seventeen with two new wolves. Of course this meant that Jared had no valid argument when Jacob insisted he keep to to his plan and stop phasing as well. Kim was twenty-eight and getting older every second, it was time Jared joined her. They all knew, had he not been alpha, he would have retired two or three years prior.

Sam had stopped phasing at twenty-six and Paul had retired three years later at twenty-seven, though occasionally he still found it difficult. The pack had guessed that after Jared, Brady would be the next to retire, though it wouldn't happen until he was in his early thirties. Brady was twenty-three and his imprint, Beth, was seventeen. Collin would follow soon after, his imprint, Lisa, being sixteen. Claire was only thirteen so Quil still had plenty of time and, with the exception of Nessie, the only other imprint was Dillon's imprint, Emma, who was only a year and a half old.

Embry listened to some of his brothers going over that knowledge in their heads, making timelines and predictions, and that's when it hit him. Brady would _not_ be the next wolf to stop phasing, because it would be him. Alex was twenty-four and, ideally the wolves could stop phasing when their imprints were in their mid-twenties. He had two years at most. That thought had been enough to stop him in his tracks. His next thought stopped his brothers as well: he would stop phasing, and start aging, _alone._

He hadn't thought about it, hadn't consciously made the decision, but of course he would stop phasing soon; Alex was his imprint. She would grow old on a porch swing with Mark, but he would grow old, too. He wouldn't be in his twenties forever while she turned grey and died. He couldn't handle that. He would turn grey too, watching from a distance. How had he not seen this coming? She was married. She could never be his, but he wouldn't keep phasing forever.

The pack was frozen, watching the pictures and images in his head; as Alex got older, had someone else's kids, played with her grandchildren, and swung on a porch swing with a vague and fuzzy man. Then they watched the pictures shift and saw Embry, friends with Alex but never more; running into her at the grocery store, her belly swollen as she glowed. He was grey now, too, dropping candy into her grandchildren's bags at Halloween as she watched on smiling. Him, sitting on a porch swing all alone. He'd always be there for her but never _with_ her. That was how it would be for him; there would be no one else in the end.

Ten minutes later he found himself on Alex's porch. She hadn't returned any of his calls or texts since he'd ran out on video game night, leaving her crying in the bathroom. He understood, she was angry with him. He'd said he would be right back but never returned. A normal, non-shape shifting person would have remembered and been able to text or call her to tell her about the change in plans. He was going to keep texting daily 'I'm sorry' messages and calling her twice a day, but thinking about the life he'd spend alone, he'd decided he was going to spend as much time as possible with her now, while he could. Of course he'd also thought if he showed up at her door, she'd actually answer it.

"I know you're here, Alex!" He called, listening to her breathing speed up on the other side of the door. "Your car is in the driveway, please talk to me! I know you're mad at me, and I'm really really sorry." He paused, hoping she'd say something or do something but she didn't move or make a noise. "Fine, okay, you're not ready to talk to me. Just let me know when you are, okay? It's been really great hanging out with you these past couple of weeks and…I miss you. So, I hope you'll talk to me soon." He paused again then, deciding he needed to lighten the mood after admitting he missed her, added, "even if it's just to call me an ass."

He heard a muffled snort and smiled. She'd come around. As he turned and jogged back down the driveway he had no way of knowing things were going to get worse before she'd talk to him.

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 **Disclaimer:**

Stephanie Meyer still owns Twilight and all my play things.


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